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Learning Standards Standards

What does a student learn in ?

This is the year music becomes something students make, not just hear. Students sing simple songs, tap steady beats, and try out their own short musical ideas with voices and classroom instruments. They start to notice the difference between loud and soft, fast and slow, and talk about how a song makes them feel. By spring, students can perform a short song for the class and share one thing they like about it.

  • Singing
  • Steady beat
  • Loud and soft
  • Making music
  • Performing
  • Listening
Source: Texas Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills
Year at a glance
How the year usually goes. Every school and district set their own curriculum, so treat this as a guide, not official pacing.
  1. 1

    Singing and listening together

    Students start the year by singing simple songs as a group and listening closely to music. They learn to follow along, match a tune, and pay attention to what they hear.

  2. 2

    Making music with sound

    Students explore different ways to make sound with their voices, hands, and classroom instruments. They begin inventing short patterns and rhythms of their own.

  3. 3

    Sharing songs with others

    Students practice short pieces and perform them for the class. They learn what it feels like to sing or play in front of others and to put care into a small performance.

  4. 4

    Talking about music

    Students describe songs they hear and share what they like and why. They connect music to stories, holidays, and family life, and notice how different songs make them feel.

Mastery Learning Standards
The required skills a student should display by the end of Kindergarten.
Connecting

  • Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art

    MU:Cn10.k

    Students connect what they already know and feel to the music they make or respond to. A favorite memory, sound, or story can shape how they sing, move, or listen.

  • Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural

    MU:Cn11.k

    Songs and musical ideas come from somewhere. Students begin to notice how music connects to the places, people, and times it comes from.

Creating

  • Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work

    MU:Cr1.k

    Students come up with their own musical ideas, like making up a short song or a rhythm to clap. This is the start of creating something original in music.

  • Organize and develop artistic ideas and work

    MU:Cr2.k

    Students pick their favorite sounds or clapping patterns and put them together to make a short song or rhythm of their own.

  • Refine and complete artistic work

    MU:Cr3.k

    Students pick a song or rhythm they made up and practice it until it sounds the way they want. They learn that creative work takes more than one try.

Performing/Presenting/Producing

  • Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation

    MU:Pr4.k

    Students choose a song or piece of music to perform and practice it until they feel ready to share it with others.

  • Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation

    MU:Pr5.k

    Students practice a song or rhythm until they feel ready to perform it for others. The goal is to make it better before sharing it.

  • Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work

    MU:Pr6.k

    Students sing or play music for others and show what the song means to them through the way they perform it.

Responding

  • Perceive and analyze artistic work

    MU:Re7.k

    Students listen to a short piece of music and share what they notice, like how it sounds fast or slow, loud or soft.

  • Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work

    MU:Re8.k

    Students listen to a short song and share what they think it feels like or what story it might tell. There are no wrong answers, just reasons.

  • Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work

    MU:Re9.k

    Students listen to a short piece of music and say whether they liked it and why. They practice giving a simple reason for their opinion, not just "it's good."

Common Questions
  • What does music class look like this year?

    Students sing songs, clap rhythms, move to a beat, and play simple instruments like shakers and drums. They also listen to short pieces of music and talk about what they hear. Most of the learning happens through play, not paper.

  • How can I help with music at home?

    Sing together in the car, clap along to songs, and let students make up little tunes about what they did that day. Five minutes of singing or tapping a beat on the table counts. The goal at this age is comfort with sound, not perfect pitch.

  • Does my child need to read music or play an instrument?

    No. Reading notes on a staff comes later. Right now students are learning to keep a steady beat, match a singing voice, and tell loud from soft or fast from slow.

  • What should I focus on first in the year?

    Start with steady beat and singing voice. Once students can keep a beat with their bodies and match a simple pitch, everything else (rhythm patterns, instrument play, listening) gets easier. Most reteaching later in the year traces back to these two skills.

  • How do I sequence creating, performing, and responding across the year?

    Weave all three into most lessons rather than teaching them in blocks. A typical week might include singing a familiar song, making up a new verse, performing it for a partner, and saying what they liked about another group's version. Short cycles work better than long projects.

  • My child says they cannot sing. What should I do?

    Keep it low pressure and sing with them, not at them. Younger students often sing too low because they copy adult voices, so try higher songs like nursery rhymes or playground chants. Confidence matters more than tone at this age.

  • How do I know students are ready for first grade music?

    By spring, most students can keep a steady beat, sing a short song on pitch with the group, tell fast from slow and loud from soft, and share one thing they noticed about a piece of music. Students who still struggle with steady beat are the ones to flag.